Sweetie sat under the eaves, propping her little head up and lost in thought, completely unaware that someone was behind her.
She figured her brother should be back by now, so she turned to leave, only to be unexpectedly pulled into a warm embrace.
"Careful, did you hurt yourself?"
Sweetie covered her nose, which had been hurt from the impact, and tears welled up in her eyes. She pouted, about to cry out loud.
Over the years, her family and acquaintances have all loved and pampered her. She has never suffered any grievances and has basically gotten whatever she wanted.
Even the nannies and maids around her were afraid she would fall while walking. Although she suffered a bit from practicing martial arts, her body was still pampered.
She didn't expect anyone to be behind her, so she ran very fast, and naturally, the more she hit her nose, the more it hurt.
Hearing the other person's soft, gentle voice, Tianbao couldn't hold back her tears, which streamed down her cheeks in large drops.
"Baby, don't cry, don't cry~ Uncle will buy you candy, okay?"
Sweetie shook her head through her nose: "No, Mommy said I can't eat candy from strangers, they'll kidnap me and sell me!"
Qu Huaiyuan chuckled. Seeing Tianbao crying pitifully, he picked her up, held her protectively in his arms, and helped rub her nose.
"Don't cry, Sweetie~ Uncle will blow on it for you, it'll make you feel better~"
Qu Huaiyuan took Tianbao's little hand away and carefully examined her nose. He was relieved to see that only the tip of her nose was red and there was no bleeding.
Sweetie only felt a slight pain when she was touched, but it's fine now.
She stared wide-eyed at her brother, who was completely different from her father but very handsome.
He was gently blowing on her nose, and Sweetie blushed shyly.
This guy is so handsome! And so gentle!
Although her father was very gentle with her, his gentleness was aloof, while the older brother in front of her was the kind of friendly, approachable older brother next door.
However… Sweetie felt like she had seen him somewhere before.
"Brother, haven't we met somewhere before? You're so handsome!"
Sweetie couldn't help but recite a classic line from a storybook her mother had collected, a line about boys flirting with girls.
Qu Huaiyuan looked at the exquisitely beautiful little girl in front of him and unconsciously felt a connection to the little girl in his memory who loved to snuggle in his arms.
Sweetie has grown up and become even cuter!
but…
Qu Huaiyuan tidied the stray hairs on Tianbao's forehead and corrected her with a gentle smile, "Tianbao, you should call him Uncle."
"Uncle?" Tianbao sat in Qu Huaiyuan's lap, looking left and right, and shook her head firmly.
"No, you look like the older brother, not the uncle."
Qu Huaiyuan couldn't help but laugh out loud. Tianbao is even cuter than before now that she can talk!
"Uncle is a bit older than your mother, so Sweetie can only call him Uncle~"
Sweetie's eyes lit up, and she cupped Qu Huaiyuan's smiling face in her hands: "Wow! Does brother know my mother?"
Sweetie stroked Qu Huaiyuan's handsome face, marveling to herself, "His skin is so good!"
Qu Huaiyuan had no choice but to let her call out: "That's right~ Uncle and your mother are old acquaintances."
As Qu Huaiyuan looked at Tianbao's wide-open smile, memories flooded back like a tidal wave.
Three years ago, her mother passed away due to illness, leaving her all alone.
At that time, he was indebted to Zhu Yuan and worked for him in the prefectural city. Because the Northern Hu people were colluding with the Fifth Prince, Zhu Yuan did not want too many people to be sacrificed, so he asked him to infiltrate the enemy city and cooperate with them from the inside.
He was all alone, with no one to rely on, and he didn't want to deal with the pressure from the Xu family forcing him to marry Miss Xu.
Therefore, he readily agreed.
Then they relayed messages from the enemy to Zhuyuan, and finally they found an opportunity to capture a city in one fell swoop.
But the Fifth Prince escaped again. He refused the position that Zhu Yuan had arranged for him and asked to infiltrate the enemy himself.
Everything was going smoothly until his whereabouts were discovered.
He was almost captured by the Fifth Prince's men, but thanks to Zhu Yuan's arrangements, he managed to escape, though he was injured and trapped there.
Until Zhu Yuan attacked, he returned to the military camp safely. Zhu Yuan asked him if he wanted to stay or do something else.
At that time, his mother had passed away, and he was unmarried, so he had almost no worries. He simply replied that he wanted to stay in the military camp, so Zhuyuan arranged for him to teach in the military camp.
Occasionally, while in the military camp, he would hear news about Zhu Yuan and Zhen Wanwan, learning that they were a loving couple, and he gradually came to terms with it.
This time, he returned to Anqing Prefecture with Zhuyuan. First, he went to pay respects to his mother, and then he went directly to Rende Academy to teach.
He was not yet ready to go to Meizi Village to see his old friend, and Zhuyuan did not mention that he was there.
Today, Qu Huaiyuan recognized Tianbao the moment he saw her.
Qu Huaiyuan chuckled self-deprecatingly, surprised that Tianbao had already forgotten what he looked like.
Sweetie had been watching this very handsome older brother who matched her aesthetic, and when she saw him smile, she felt inexplicably sorry for him.
"Brother! You know my mother, why don't you come home with me today? My mother will be very happy to see you!"
Sweetie gripped Qu Huaiyuan's hand tightly, as if afraid he would run away.
For some reason, she felt a sense of familiarity and closeness towards him!
This feeling is just like facing my mother and father!
Qu Huaiyuan was taken aback. Looking at the young girl in front of him, she sincerely invited him to go home. He wanted to refuse, but he was afraid of hurting her.
He paused, then reorganized his words, "Sweetie, given your mother's current status, it's not appropriate for her to meet with men outside the family. How about we visit your home after I've settled things here?"
Sweetie pursed her lips, her eyes stinging with tears, a hint of reluctance in her voice: "Brother, you must keep your word!"
Qu Huaiyuan was too lazy to correct her way of addressing him, and affectionately tapped her nose: "Don't worry~ Uncle will definitely go!"
Qu Huaiyuan glanced at the sky and, seeing that it was getting late, took Tianbao's hand and said, "I'll take you to the door first, so your mother won't wait!"
He had already heard that Zhen Wanwan was here today, and he assumed that Tianbao had come with Zhen Wanwan.
Upon hearing this, Tianbao stiffened, her eyes darting around, a guilty expression on her face.
Oh no! Brother! My sweetheart is still waiting for her!
Sweetie suddenly remembered what had happened that day, and her palms began to sweat as she held Qu Huaiyuan's hand.
Qu Huaiyuan thought she was tired from walking, so he squatted down and picked her up, his movements so practiced that it was as if he had carried her countless times before.
Sweetie paused, as if a memory was flooding back. Just as she was about to recall it seriously, a familiar voice came from behind her.
"Sweetie! Sweetie! Where have you gone? I can't find you anywhere! I'm telling you, I've already..."
Guaibao finally found Tianbao and ran forward, but stopped in his tracks after seeing the face of the person holding Tianbao.
"Huh? You are...!"
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